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Enrollment stable at WDC schools

First-day numbers at Wadena-Deer Creek's schools Tuesday showed 1,003 students in grades K-12 according to school records.

Grades K-4 attend the Wadena-Deer Creek Elementary School and those five grades had 400 students enrolled. Grade 5-12 instructors at the WDC Middle/High School, which opened for the first time last September, saw 603 students attend classes.

The enrollment was up by only two from last year's first day but it was 47 students stronger than the 2011's first day.

WDC Elementary Principal Louis Rutten is expecting around 90 pre-schoolers to join the elementary ranks beginning Monday. The three and four-year-old pre-schoolers do not face a full day or full week of classes. Three-year-olds have a half-day option with classes going from 8-11 a.m. or noon-3 p.m. Parents of four-year-olds can also take for the half day option or they can do full days on an every other day schedule.

"We see that most of them are very happy to be here," Rutten said. "If you ask the kindergarten teachers they would say it sure makes a difference."

Of the 13 different grades in the WDC district the largest this year is the first grade class (92) and the smallest is the fourth grade (62).